Arkivism
The Heroine Who is Faithfully Loved: Madhya Svadhinapatika Nayika, from a Rasamanjari of Bhanudatta
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The Heroine Who is Faithfully Loved: Madhya Svadhinapatika Nayika, from a Rasamanjari of Bhanudatta

c. 1710 · Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

The heroine sits in front of the elongated red cushion, gesturing to her companion in conversation. She is trying to decide if she should agree to submit to her husband or continue to be coy. A verse from a Sanskrit poem by Bhanudatta Misra, who lived during the late 1400s to early 1500s in northeastern India, has been quoted on the back of the painting. The verse has been written both in Sanskrit using the Takri script of the Pahari region and in a local vernacular translation.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineThe Heroine Who is Faithfully Loved: Madhya Svadhinapatika Nayika, from a Rasamanjari of Bhanudatta, c. 1710. Northern India, Pahari kingdoms. Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; image: 17 x 26.8 cm (6 11/16 x 10 9/16 in.); overall: 20.5 x 28.2 cm (8 1/16 x 11 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Sherman E. Lee, 1967.239

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